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Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912 | www.dailytrojan.com | VOL. 172, NO. 9 | Tuesday January 25, 2011
InDEX 2 · News Digest 4 · Opinion 5 · Lifestyle 7 · Sudoku 8 · Classifieds 12 · Sports
Science fiction: The DNA Trail
blends science with theater.
PAGE 5
Lawsuit: Former tailback Stafon
Johnson sues USC.
PAGE 12
Photo courtesy of Jorja Leap
Reform · Jorja Leap, a UCLA professor who works at Homeboy Industries, stands with Fabian
Debora, a former gang member, in front of a mural Debora painted as part of the program.
By Kira Breke
Daily Trojan
Given USC’s location in downtown Los
Angeles, crime can seem almost inevitable,
especially when there are two gangs oper-ating
within miles of campus. These groups
are active and potentially dangerous, but
their threat doesn’t extend to the USC cam-pus,
experts say.
Instead, Jorja Leap, a gang researcher and
UCLA professor, said the campus itself moti-vates,
inspires and shows others that a high-er
quality of life exists.
Leap has been working on a five-year
study at Homeboy Industries, following
300 gang members as they go through the
Homeboy/Homegirl program, which works
to counsel young people and to redirect their
lives. Leap said all the gang members she
has worked with perceive USC as a symbol of
opportunity, and most wouldn’t dare bring
violence to the campus area.
“For them, USC is sacred and they don’t
cross the line,” Leap said. “I’m saying this
as someone whose been on the faculty at
UCLA, and I’m not really interested in pro-paganda
at USC. But this is a phenomenon
I’ve seen among the gang members that I’ve
worked with.”
Dept. of Public Safety Assistant Chief
John Thomas said the two gangs closest to
campus are the Fruit Town Brims, and the
Harpys. Thomas said the Fruit Town Brims
are small in comparison to the Harpys, but
their area is defined as south of Jefferson
Boulevard and west of Vermont Avenue.
Leap said these gang members recognize
the benefits that USC offers to the commu-nity.
“Eighty percent of these members love
USC, and they want their kids to go to USC,”
Leap said. “USC is almost like Switzerland,
it’s like a neutral zone and they all observe
this.”
This rings true for Thomas, who grew up
near USC, and ultimately was inspired to at-tend
UCLA.
“If it wasn’t for USC, I would never have
thought that a college education was a
Gang violence near campus
not a threat, experts say
Two gangs, the Fruit Town Brims and
the Harpys, live in the area near USC.
| see Gangs, page 10 |
By jared servantez
Daily Trojan
The Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching recently
cited USC as one of 115 colleges
and universities notable for their
collaborations with neighboring
communities.
The Carnegie Foundation, an in-dependent
policy and research center
committed to transforming and im-proving
American higher education,
issues classifications every few years
naming colleges and universities that
meet various goals outlined by the
foundation’s mission.
This year, the foundation invit-ed
schools with exceptional commit-ment
to community engagement to
apply for the Community Engagement
Classification, which was first offered
in 2006. USC applied in September,
and was notified this month that they
had received the classification.
“Through a classification that ac-knowledges
significant commitment
to and demonstration of communi-ty
engagement, the Foundation en-courages
colleges and universities to
become more deeply engaged, to im-prove
teaching and learning and to
generate socially responsive knowl-edge
to benefit communities,” said
Anthony Bryk, president of the foun-dation,
in a press release.
Bryk said that in awarding the clas-sification,
the foundation went beyond
national data and evaluated the spe-cific
community outreach programs
at each of the schools.
After receiving applications for the
classification, the foundation worked
with the New England Resource
Center for Higher Education to review
examples of the schools’ work in their
communities.
For USC, the classification is a
welcome acknowledgement of a
focus on community interests that
was a hallmark of former President
Steven B. Sample’s administration
and continues to be a priority under
President C. L. Max Nikias.
One of the programs that helped
earn USC its classification from the
Carnegie Foundation was the Joint
Educational Project. Since its found-ing
in 1972, JEP has become one of the
nation’s largest service-learning pro-grams,
said Tina Koneazny, associate
director for administration and edu-cational
outreach with JEP.
“It’s a huge honor and it really val-idates
all the work we’ve been doing
in the community for the last several
years,” Koneazny said.
The programs at JEP aim to turn
community service into service-learning
by combining volunteer
work with academic coursework. At
the center of the project are eight-week
programs that give students
opportunities to volunteer in the
community in roles such as mentoring
and tutoring.
“We’re giving USC students the op-portunity
to learn and grow through
their work in the community, while
the community still benefits,”
Carnegie recognizes USC’s
commitment to community
Carnegie Foundation cites Troy
Camp as an example of USC’s
work with the community.
| see carnegie, page 3 |
By Sammi wong
Daily Trojan
USC recently released a detailed
report of its greenhouse gas emission
activities from 2001 to 2009 to
provide a baseline number of the
amount of emissions during a typical
year.
The report, which was put together
by the USC Office of Sustainability,
highlights the gas emission output of
both USC’s University Park Campus
and Health Sciences Campus.
This report was completed to help
understand where the university
stands on such an important issue
as GHG emissions, according to Ed
Becker, the executive director of
Environmental Health and Safety.
“This is the first greenhouse gas
emission inventory that the university
has done, and it can help in gauging
what to do in the future,” Becker said.
“The faculty and students can work
together, look at the inventory and
use this data to create something.
What they’ll create, we will have to
wait to see.”
The emissions output is
categorized into three scopes that
includes direct emissions, indirect
emissions and the emission of GHGs
from the creation of products and
services that the university employs.
In the last couple of years, USC
has become more environmentally
aware, according to Becker.
“There is an energy department
on campus that has done numerous
energy projects for the last couple of
years, replacing better efficient light
bulbs, chilling systems, among other
things,” Becker said.
As USC works toward a greener
future, this report is a step in building
student involvement and becoming a
more sustainable campus.
“Put out a rich set of data and the
academic community will take it in a
direction we never imagined,” Becker
said.
As a whole, the university has
had a 19 percent increase in GHG
emissions from the year 2001 to 2009,
according to the report. Emissions,
which peaked in 2007, have decreased
by 3 percent as a direct correlation
to the actions the university has
taken toward becoming more
environmentally friendly.
Becker said a green office program
was started recently, where different
on campus departments can
certify their commitment to being
environmentally friendly.
This report is only the starting
point, according to Becker.
“We didn’t have a baseline before,
USC releases greenhouse gas report
The Office of Sustainability
reported the number of gas
emissions from 2001 to 2009.
| see grenhouse, page 10 |
Suji Pyun | Daily Trojan

Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912 | www.dailytrojan.com | VOL. 172, NO. 9 | Tuesday January 25, 2011
InDEX 2 · News Digest 4 · Opinion 5 · Lifestyle 7 · Sudoku 8 · Classifieds 12 · Sports
Science fiction: The DNA Trail
blends science with theater.
PAGE 5
Lawsuit: Former tailback Stafon
Johnson sues USC.
PAGE 12
Photo courtesy of Jorja Leap
Reform · Jorja Leap, a UCLA professor who works at Homeboy Industries, stands with Fabian
Debora, a former gang member, in front of a mural Debora painted as part of the program.
By Kira Breke
Daily Trojan
Given USC’s location in downtown Los
Angeles, crime can seem almost inevitable,
especially when there are two gangs oper-ating
within miles of campus. These groups
are active and potentially dangerous, but
their threat doesn’t extend to the USC cam-pus,
experts say.
Instead, Jorja Leap, a gang researcher and
UCLA professor, said the campus itself moti-vates,
inspires and shows others that a high-er
quality of life exists.
Leap has been working on a five-year
study at Homeboy Industries, following
300 gang members as they go through the
Homeboy/Homegirl program, which works
to counsel young people and to redirect their
lives. Leap said all the gang members she
has worked with perceive USC as a symbol of
opportunity, and most wouldn’t dare bring
violence to the campus area.
“For them, USC is sacred and they don’t
cross the line,” Leap said. “I’m saying this
as someone whose been on the faculty at
UCLA, and I’m not really interested in pro-paganda
at USC. But this is a phenomenon
I’ve seen among the gang members that I’ve
worked with.”
Dept. of Public Safety Assistant Chief
John Thomas said the two gangs closest to
campus are the Fruit Town Brims, and the
Harpys. Thomas said the Fruit Town Brims
are small in comparison to the Harpys, but
their area is defined as south of Jefferson
Boulevard and west of Vermont Avenue.
Leap said these gang members recognize
the benefits that USC offers to the commu-nity.
“Eighty percent of these members love
USC, and they want their kids to go to USC,”
Leap said. “USC is almost like Switzerland,
it’s like a neutral zone and they all observe
this.”
This rings true for Thomas, who grew up
near USC, and ultimately was inspired to at-tend
UCLA.
“If it wasn’t for USC, I would never have
thought that a college education was a
Gang violence near campus
not a threat, experts say
Two gangs, the Fruit Town Brims and
the Harpys, live in the area near USC.
| see Gangs, page 10 |
By jared servantez
Daily Trojan
The Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching recently
cited USC as one of 115 colleges
and universities notable for their
collaborations with neighboring
communities.
The Carnegie Foundation, an in-dependent
policy and research center
committed to transforming and im-proving
American higher education,
issues classifications every few years
naming colleges and universities that
meet various goals outlined by the
foundation’s mission.
This year, the foundation invit-ed
schools with exceptional commit-ment
to community engagement to
apply for the Community Engagement
Classification, which was first offered
in 2006. USC applied in September,
and was notified this month that they
had received the classification.
“Through a classification that ac-knowledges
significant commitment
to and demonstration of communi-ty
engagement, the Foundation en-courages
colleges and universities to
become more deeply engaged, to im-prove
teaching and learning and to
generate socially responsive knowl-edge
to benefit communities,” said
Anthony Bryk, president of the foun-dation,
in a press release.
Bryk said that in awarding the clas-sification,
the foundation went beyond
national data and evaluated the spe-cific
community outreach programs
at each of the schools.
After receiving applications for the
classification, the foundation worked
with the New England Resource
Center for Higher Education to review
examples of the schools’ work in their
communities.
For USC, the classification is a
welcome acknowledgement of a
focus on community interests that
was a hallmark of former President
Steven B. Sample’s administration
and continues to be a priority under
President C. L. Max Nikias.
One of the programs that helped
earn USC its classification from the
Carnegie Foundation was the Joint
Educational Project. Since its found-ing
in 1972, JEP has become one of the
nation’s largest service-learning pro-grams,
said Tina Koneazny, associate
director for administration and edu-cational
outreach with JEP.
“It’s a huge honor and it really val-idates
all the work we’ve been doing
in the community for the last several
years,” Koneazny said.
The programs at JEP aim to turn
community service into service-learning
by combining volunteer
work with academic coursework. At
the center of the project are eight-week
programs that give students
opportunities to volunteer in the
community in roles such as mentoring
and tutoring.
“We’re giving USC students the op-portunity
to learn and grow through
their work in the community, while
the community still benefits,”
Carnegie recognizes USC’s
commitment to community
Carnegie Foundation cites Troy
Camp as an example of USC’s
work with the community.
| see carnegie, page 3 |
By Sammi wong
Daily Trojan
USC recently released a detailed
report of its greenhouse gas emission
activities from 2001 to 2009 to
provide a baseline number of the
amount of emissions during a typical
year.
The report, which was put together
by the USC Office of Sustainability,
highlights the gas emission output of
both USC’s University Park Campus
and Health Sciences Campus.
This report was completed to help
understand where the university
stands on such an important issue
as GHG emissions, according to Ed
Becker, the executive director of
Environmental Health and Safety.
“This is the first greenhouse gas
emission inventory that the university
has done, and it can help in gauging
what to do in the future,” Becker said.
“The faculty and students can work
together, look at the inventory and
use this data to create something.
What they’ll create, we will have to
wait to see.”
The emissions output is
categorized into three scopes that
includes direct emissions, indirect
emissions and the emission of GHGs
from the creation of products and
services that the university employs.
In the last couple of years, USC
has become more environmentally
aware, according to Becker.
“There is an energy department
on campus that has done numerous
energy projects for the last couple of
years, replacing better efficient light
bulbs, chilling systems, among other
things,” Becker said.
As USC works toward a greener
future, this report is a step in building
student involvement and becoming a
more sustainable campus.
“Put out a rich set of data and the
academic community will take it in a
direction we never imagined,” Becker
said.
As a whole, the university has
had a 19 percent increase in GHG
emissions from the year 2001 to 2009,
according to the report. Emissions,
which peaked in 2007, have decreased
by 3 percent as a direct correlation
to the actions the university has
taken toward becoming more
environmentally friendly.
Becker said a green office program
was started recently, where different
on campus departments can
certify their commitment to being
environmentally friendly.
This report is only the starting
point, according to Becker.
“We didn’t have a baseline before,
USC releases greenhouse gas report
The Office of Sustainability
reported the number of gas
emissions from 2001 to 2009.
| see grenhouse, page 10 |
Suji Pyun | Daily Trojan